From An Autumn Afternoon (1962) to Floating Weeds (1959), these are the best Yasujirō Ozu films. Legendary Japanese auteur Yasujirō Ozu is one of the most distinctive filmmakers in the history of the medium. His visual style is instantly recognizable; stationary, static camera capturing characters from low-angle and still-life shots (simply addressed as ‘pillow shots’ ...
An unflinchingly crafted prison drama based on true events, Great Freedom centers around an ill-starred individual Hans (Franz Rogowski), who is sent to prison straight from a concentration camp after World War II has ended. He endures much humiliation because of his homosexuality in a period when it was illegal in post-WWII Germany. Directed by Austrian ...
French director Audrey Diwan’s sophomore film Happening, which won the Golden Lion at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, is a stinging reflection of society’s biases towards women. Adapted from an autobiographical book by Annie Ernaux, its plot isn’t new. But the tale is worth retelling in light of the recent debate over women’s reproductive rights. ...
A tender and poignant portrait of childhood, Playground is characterized by its exploration of universal but difficult questions while remaining grounded in everyday settings and harsh realities. Before we thoroughly grasp the various challenges of adulthood, we are impressionable and emotionally pliable as children. Such sagaciously sharp insights about growing up form the crux of ...
Argentina, 1985, a Spanish courtroom drama directed by Santiago Mitre, depicts the country’s historic Trial of the Juntas, the first-ever conviction of a military dictatorship by a civilian judicial system. The 140-minute-long film narrates the gruesome tale of bureaucracy and moral corruption by examining the famous case from the viewpoint of its chief prosecutor, Julio ...
From Top Gun: Maverick to Everything Everywhere All At Once, here are the best movies 2022 has offered. After two tough years of the pandemic, moviegoers returned, if not as massively, to theatres in 2022, giving the year its fair share of blockbusters. (There’s a rebound in ticket sales but we’re nowhere close to the pre-pandemic levels. But ...
From Harakiri (1962) to Seven Samurai (1954), these are the best Samurai movies of all time. Samurai movies have much in common with the Western Hollywood genre. The cinematic persona of samurai and cowboys have been both real and mythic. In fact, mythology overrides reality often, and these heroic figures are ordained to become the ...
From Souls on the Road (1921) to A Page of Madness (1926), these are some of the finest silent Japanese films. If we believe in the Western perspective of Japanese cinema, the latter gained prominence only after the arrival of Akira Kurosawa. While Kurosawa winning an award at Venice Film Festival for Rashomon (1950) unveiled ...
From Taxi Driver (1976) to An Angel at My Table (1990), here are 15 movies about depression and loneliness worth your time. The beauty of great art in general, and cinema in particular is that it can imitate a shared experience of difficult emotions. The idea of being able to view a fictional microcosm, as if through ...
South Korean cinema has been on a roll scaling unprecedented, global heights. Bong Joon-ho, one of the many acclaimed South Korean directors responsible for South Korea’s global clout in the film industry, rose to fame in recent years with his award-winning film Parasite (2019). Bong has truly invigorated the crime thriller genre and proven that ...
“Am I the abnormal one?” The question Mad World posits is one of reflection. Chun Wong’s debut feature tells the compelling story of Tung, a former financial analyst who gets hospitalized for bipolar disorder. Thrust into the care of his estranged father, Tung’s attempt to reintegrate into the society is startlingly devastating. It leaves us ...
A story about friendships, sibling love and life struggles, Jack Neo’s Homerun tugs at your heartstrings in so many ways. Set in 1965, Singapore, the film is a local adaptation of the award-winning 1997 Iranian film, Children of Heaven. It revolves around a pair of siblings, Chew Kiat Kun (Shawn Lee) and his younger sister, ...
While Hayao Miyazaki, one of animation’s greats, has produced and directed a wonderful body of work, Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) is a masterpiece in his filmography. The gentleness and charm with which he tells the coming-of-age tale create a heartfelt and timeless experience that resonates with us. The magic of the film lies in its blend ...
To bill Sepet as a romantic comedy would be unjust to Yasmin Ahmad and her deft storytelling skills who masterfully weaves political commentary into her sophomore film. “How long does one take to fall in love?” “1 minute.” “How long did you take to fall in love with me?” “Much less than that.” How the words ...
If you think you’ve seen all the romance tropes, think again. Winner of this year’s Cannes Best Director Award and the brains behind iconic thrillers like Joint Security Area (2000), Oldboy (2003), and The Handmaiden (2016), Park Chan-wook brings us his latest romantic mystery masterpiece, Decision to Leave. Barely five minutes in, and we find ...
Dipankar Sarkar
